Vehicle seats are provided with recliner mechanisms that permit an occupant to adjust the angle of the seat back to the seat base of the seat. Recliner apparatus are classified as either continuous or discontinuous. A continuous recliner generally includes a wobble gear set that is rotated to change the pivot angle of the seat. A discontinuous recliner normally has a handle or other latch mechanism that is used to release the recliner mechanism. The seat back is either pushed back by the occupant or biased by a spring to a default position.
Vehicle seats are tested for seat frame deformation during simulated collision tests. One test for seat frames involves resistance to impact from an object, such as a piece of luggage. The vehicle seat is tested by applying a load to the rear portion of the back rest with sufficient force to deform the back rest frame. One failure mode of this test is whether the force of impact on the seat back releases the seat back lock mechanism of the recliner.
The above problems are addressed by Applicant's invention as summarized below.